Here are some of my CTF armies and their backgrounds. Front and center is the team's hero, to his right is the team medic and to his left is the demolitions expert. Behind these three are the 5 basic soldiers (some of them were lost in the last Brikwars battle and had to be replaced with robots of equal or greater awesomeness). The fourth picture is the team Merc, which can be purchased after collecting a certain amount of treasure on the battlefield. Mercs are closer to heroes than regular troopers, but are not able to perform stupendous feats.

The AeronautsA renegade band of pilots who have turned to a life of piracy. The Aeronauts are known for pushing vehicles to their fullest extent in Brikwars battles and using them in unconventional yet effective ways.Hero: Rusty - Raised by pirates and dedicated to a life of crime, Rusty is possibly the most incredible pilot of them all. Capable of pushing vehicles to their limits, he favors stupendous maneuvers. (A Stup. Feat except in or involving a vehicle)Merc: CombustiBill - Professor Bill Barrage was an experienced metallurgist who took a turn for the worse when his family was killed by terrorists. He designed a special flame thrower that agitates air molecules until they combust. The friction of the molecules repelling off of each other releases heat energy that, when combined with a special chemical, produces a jet of flames that can be released indefinitely. Burn, baby, burn!

The ArbiteersA special ops force whose primary objective is to "win". They were the best of the best in law enforcement until the Government suffered a complete collapse at the hands of a rebel coup. However, the Arbiteers refused to stray from their mission and will overcome any obstacle in their path. Even you... Especially you...Hero: Sergeant Overkill - The Sarge doesn't take crap from anyone. He is admired by his troops for his violent nature, badassedness, and complete disregard for collateral damage. Any time the Sarge rolls a critical failure, he gets to try again. However, if the second die also comes up as a 1, he is killed in the most brutal and fantastic way possible.
Merc: Hood - A well known and greatly feared assassin, Hood was one of the key players in the uprising, unbeknownst to the Sarge and his men. However, once the people took over, chaos ensued, and so Hood went where the money was, and found himself working for his once greatest enemy. Does he care? Of course not, don't ask stupid questions.

Bounty HuntersIn an every-man-for-himself world a group of Bounty Hunters decided to stick together to go after the big prizes. Extremely resourceful and dangerous, they specialize in improvising weapons and vehicles out of ordinary battlefield clutter.Hero: Alpha Wolf - Perhaps the greatest bounty hunter of his time, Alphie (as he's sometimes called by his troops) began as a smuggler, but worked his way up to hunting for big game during the rebel coup. He is said to be responsible for the deaths of several high ranking politicians though the exact head count is unknown. When Alphie moves he is completely invisible, if he attacks, however, he must remain visible for a full turn after the move in which he attacked.
Merc: Big Bad Bob - About 6 years ago, a man then known as Big Regular Bob took a trip to the city of Salt Lake, Utah. Upon arriving, Big Regular Bob became utterly and hopelessly lost in the mind-numbingly horrible maze of streets that makes up the down town area of the city. After spending 7 frustrating years trying to find his way out, he eventually emerged as a new man. A bad man. Generally speaking, it is not a good idea to piss off Big Bad Bob, unless you don't mind having your face peeled off.

The ElectrocutionersThe Electrocutioners have been sent back into the past to help put a stop to the uprising before it actually took place. However, they weren't sent back quite far enough, and now they're confused and just generally cheesed off at everyone.Hero: Dave 2.0 - Now with 50% more armor points!
Merc: The Binford 6100 Auto-Ninja - This Ninja boasts more power than previous models, and was brought along with the Electrocutioners in order to fight the heroes of the uprising (Hood, for example). Like the other Electrocutioner weapons, the green glow of his sword is caused by a mixture of highly unstable chemicals that radiate bolts of highly concentrated electricity when a current is passed through them. This makes his weapon extremely formidable (2d6+2).

Team InfernoSpecializing in high explosives, these nut cases are a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Team members include everything pyro from licensed technicians to backyard maniacs.Hero: Blaze - After years of being an outcast in school, Young Blaine Zeigler discovered the joys of playing with fire. Shortening his name to "Blaze", he sought revenge on all those that made fun of him. Blaze's guns shoot fireballs that do damage instantly (3 inches of splash damage) and even more over time. Often heard repeating the following poem as he watches his enemies burn:An ungracious death is what you require, Well look no further, for I'm the supplier!My allies and I, we're the ones who conspireTo set you ablaze, until you expire!And as the flames grow higher and higherThey quell my desire to set things on fire!Merc: The Duke - The Duke is known for being completely insane and highly unstable. He is capable of using his spear gun as both a melee weapon and a long ranged weapon. Blaze is the only person he considers an equal to himself.

NihilistsIf a player chooses the Nihilists as his/her team, immediately punch them in the stomach, they are going to have deserved it. Lawless and out of control, the Nihilists will stop at nothing to wreak havoc on the battlefield. They will invariably cheat and try to gain advantages wherever possible. You have been warned.Hero: The Übermensch - Once a lonely philosopher named Friedrich discovered that life has no purpose and that nothing happens for a reason. With this refreshing new outlook on life, he was able to justify even the most unspeakable acts, and removed himself from all worldly feelings (such as pain, guilt, benevolence, etc). Eventually he started to gain followers, and now refers to himself as simply, The Übermensch. He has made it his personal goal to rid all believers of their wasted lives and will not rest until he has done so. If The Übermensch loses a roll, he adds 1 to whatever his roll came up as (does not apply to stupendous attempts).
Merc: Livingston - Despite his androidal appearance, Livingston is actually a person wearing a special armored suit. The weapon he wields is so mind-bogglingly dangerous, only someone with absolutely no regard for their own life would ever dare to go near it. Any organic life form that touches the blade will instantly explode, doing 3d6 damage to itself, and 1d6 to all units within 2 inches! However, Livingston's metal suit absorbs 2 points of damage.*

Team PhantomA group of privately contracted mercenaries known for their incredible quickness in executing hits. Each team member gains an additional inch of movement per turn as long as their hero remains alive. Their face-paint-wearing demolitions expert is particularly feared as he specializes in lobbing explosives out of his custom grenade launcher to setting static charges.Hero: Ghost - Ghost was a highly skilled and highly trained sniper before the dark days of the rebellion. A casual observer would find him hiding in the shadows of a ruin or lying prone in some tall foliage, however, a casual observer would most likely already be dead.
Merc: Secret Steve - Secret Steve is a dangerous and disciplined ninja who befriended Ghost long before Team Phantom was formed. He leaves his sword coated in the blood of his victims because he thinks it looks cool. He's probably right.

RuiNationFamous for their incredible firepower, RuiNation seeks to rebel against the rebellion and claim the land for themselves. However, their forces have dwindled as of late, because their evil and terrifying hero has done little to maintain their loyalty. Because their members are either undead or near death, they take a movement penalty of -2" per turn. What they lack in agility they make up for in fire power, as each of their weapons does 2d6 damage!
Hero: Real Dead Fred - A reanimated corpse by the name of Real Dead Fred came upon a cursed staff one day that gave him the powers of Nekromania. Fred does not have the ability to do ranged damage, and his staff does but a measly 1d6. This doesn't seem to matter to him though, as it possesses the unique ability to resurrect dead units to fight for his cause!**
Merc: The Nekromaniak - The powerful Nekromancer that gave Real Dead Fred his powers. He possesses the same abilities as Real Dead Fred minus the stupendous feats. He oversees Fred's takeover of the world and advises him as to how to deal with his enemies. Somehow, the two cannot figure out that when it comes to fighting, soldiers are better alive than dead, but they don't seem to mind either.

Team VentureA team of extreme athletes who take great pleasure in defying both death and physics. These daredevils run on pure adrenaline and intravenous caffeine shots. Team Venture are known as incredible risk takers and innovators of violence, and are more than a match for any conventional military squadron on a battlefield.
Hero: Falcore - Falcore lives life to all of the following: The Limit, the Max, and most importantly, the Xtreme! He can not move nor can he attack on the battlefield, he can only attempt stupendous feats. Fortunately, he gets 2 per turn!
Merc: The Whiz - Falcore was raised by his grandfather after his parents were killed in a spelunking accident. His grandfather, a scientist, always wanted Falcore to grow up to pursue a career in science, but it was not to be. His grandfather still supported him, however, and after continuing to invent new extreme sporting equipment for Falcore and his friends, he earned the name "The Whiz". Now that Falcore is off fighting the good fight with his teammates, the Whiz seeks to live up to his name and keep his grandson alive.

*As an example, Livingston attacks a nearby unit. The unit suffers 3d6 in explosion damage, and all nearby units suffer 1d6 explosion damage. The following is a table that describes what Livingston needs to roll in order to survive his own attack. Explosion ---- Livingston needs1 ------------- Automatically Survives2 ------------- Automatically Survives3 ------------- 1 or better4 ------------- 2 or better5 ------------- 3 or better6 ------------- 4 or better

**Only one unit may be possessed at a time. Once it is killed, it is returned to it's rightful owner.

Well, these armies do look cool, and the amount of similar models available to you is awsome. However the armies themselves are pretty small, but that allows then alot of character and personality. I prefer larger forces myself.

These are CTF armies, it's ok (sometimes better) if they're small. Also I play with respawns, and usually 3, 4, or 5 man games. That means there are anywhere from 24 to 45 units on the map at any given time.

Almighty Benny wrote:These are CTF armies, it's ok (sometimes better) if they're small. Also I play with respawns, and usually 3, 4, or 5 man games. That means there are anywhere from 24 to 45 units on the map at any given time.

Whoa, that actually sounds fun. Are there any official rules for this type of game or do you just make it up as you go?

Houndis wrote: I must ask: why do some mediks and demolition experts have weapons but some don't?

The bios are well done, but some of them weren't the best you can make. Are you planning to use these armies in near future?

That's a very good question. Most of the mediks have a special type of gun that I use in Brikwars games called a Medik Gun (I know, I'm so creative) that allows them to revive dead units from a distance. Team Phantom does not have a medik gun, but they instead have a medipak that can be placed on the ground and automatically revive dead units within 5 inches. The mediks with 2 guns can naturally heal 2 units per turn.

As for the Demolition Experts, I think I explained in the bio as to why Team Phantom's Demo has one, and Team Venture's Demo has a plasma launcher. He doesn't really need it, but he just happened to be holding it when I took the picture and I didn't think twice at the time.

Which bios did you think were the weakest? I wrote most of them late last night and the rest between classes today, so I haven't even proof-read them yet, but it would be really easy to make changes.

And as for the last question, I've used these several times now in CTF games, but I've never had my camera with me. So the next time I go home for a weekend or whatever I'll see if I can get a Brikwars game together and post an illustrated write up.

Almighty Benny wrote:That's a very good question. Most of the mediks have a special type of gun that I use in Brikwars games called a Medik Gun (I know, I'm so creative) that allows them to revive dead units from a distance. Team Phantom does not have a medik gun, but they instead have a medipak that can be placed on the ground and automatically revive dead units within 5 inches. The mediks with 2 guns can naturally heal 2 units per turn.

As for the Demolition Experts, I think I explained in the bio as to why Team Phantom's Demo has one, and Team Venture's Demo has a plasma launcher. He doesn't really need it, but he just happened to be holding it when I took the picture and I didn't think twice at the time.

Which bios did you think were the weakest? I wrote most of them late last night and the rest between classes today, so I haven't even proof-read them yet, but it would be really easy to make changes.

And as for the last question, I've used these several times now in CTF games, but I've never had my camera with me. So the next time I go home for a weekend or whatever I'll see if I can get a Brikwars game together and post an illustrated write up.

Oh, Medik gun? Well, that increases Medik's predicted lifespan

As for the bios, the "weak" are somewhat clichéy (that isn't a real word, is it?). I don't know if you made it on purpose, but I don't usually like clichés (unless they are like in Team Fortress II, which is extreme cliché parody). The weakest was probably Team Inferno, mainly because the Hero and Merc were kinda clichéy. I dunno. Also I didn't like RuiNation's Hero / Merc, they seemed too weak. Is it because the normal troopers are so effective?

Yeah, Team RuiNations' hero and merc do seem pretty weak until you use their special ability. Plus, they still have stupendous feats, so they're still pretty effective with no dead troopers around.

Let's say you're in a firefight that contains 3 troopers and a hero on each team. You just happen to be RuiNation. Your troopers are more powerful than theirs so you easily bring down one or two. Real Dead Fred resurrects one of the dead troopers, and so now it's 4 troopers and a hero vs 1 or 2 troopers and a hero. Imagine you had the Nekromaniak with you too, and it would now be 5 troopers, a hero, and a merc vs 1 trooper and a hero. That turned the tide of war pretty fast, huh?

Almighty Benny wrote:Yeah, Team RuiNations' hero and merc do seem pretty weak until you use their special ability. Plus, they still have stupendous feats, so they're still pretty effective with no dead troopers around.

Let's say you're in a firefight that contains 3 troopers and a hero on each team. You just happen to be RuiNation. Your troopers are more powerful than theirs so you easily bring down one or two. Real Dead Fred resurrects one of the dead troopers, and so now it's 4 troopers and a hero vs 1 or 2 troopers and a hero. Imagine you had the Nekromaniak with you too, and it would now be 5 troopers, a hero, and a merc vs 1 trooper and a hero. That turned the tide of war pretty fast, huh?

Yeah, they are pretty good when in a firefight on a small area, but in CTF you can't keep your whole army at one place. So we've got two guys with 1d6 CC weapon and ability to resurrect dead guys + the first guy has stupendous feats. The reason I thought they are weak is because I'm so used to use feats according to hero / cliché, and nekromaniak doesn't seem to be able to do any great warfare feats. But if you let any hero do any cliché, they aren't so much weaker than the others

But now that I think about it some more and after you gave that example, maybe they aren't so helpless after all. Well, at least they've got powerful friends

I was actually thinking that they might be even more balanced if I swapped out the medic with another trooper, and let the hero resurrect dead units himself.

ninkybob wrote:Whoa, that actually sounds fun. Are there any official rules for this type of game or do you just make it up as you go?

Back on the Frappr forums, Alimghty Benny wrote:when you play with a flag for each team, you can play with respawns OR without, but if you have a problem like S2H, make it so the team with the flag gets a bonus or something from carrying the flag, or give the flag-bearer a stupendous feat (heroes and ninjas can't carry them). I think the way to solve this is to play like this...

2-flag CTF:respawns: yesObjective: get the enemy flag back to your own base to win. (Can be done point style or 1-to-win)

2-flag CTF (IVHorseman style):respawns: noObjective: Get the enemy flag back to your base AS MANY TIMES as you can before one team is eliminated. The team with the most captures wins.

1-flag CTF:respawns: yesObjective: Capture the neutral flag and bring it to the enemy base to win. (Can be done point syle or 1-to-win)

3-flag CTF (One at each base and one neutral):respawns: eitherObjective: Have 2 flags mounted in your own base at the end of a turn to win. Can be any combination of your flag, an enemy flag, or the neutral flag.

This might deserve it's own thread now that I think about it, there are a lot of house rules for CTF games.